If you’re watching your sugar intake – good for you! Eating sugar (especially added sugar) can be okay in moderation, but eating too much can be detrimental to your health in more ways than one. If you’re a pasta fan, what are some low-sugar pastas to help you stay on track with a lower-sugar diet?
Pasta doesn’t have much sugar in it, and any sugar in it is natural, not added. Some of the pastas with the least sugar are:
- Gluten-free pasta (e.g. Barilla gluten-free)
- Shirataki noodles
- Chickpea pasta
- Lentil pasta
- Regular pasta
- Soba noodles (rice & wheat)
- Whole wheat pasta
We’ll tell you just how much sugar is in all of these pastas, compare them, and answer some of your burning questions in this article!
Sugar in pasta
Most pasta is high in carbohydrates (unless you choose a specific low-carb alternative). Carbohydrates are a type of nutrient your body uses as its primary source of energy.
There are three types of carbohydrates (also called carbs): starch, sugar, and fiber. We can break sugar down into two more categories: natural sugar and added sugar.
Pasta doesn’t have added sugar, but there can be small amounts of natural sugars depending on the type of pasta. Since pasta can be made from a variety of sources and different flours, the sugar content varies depending on the type of pasta.
We’ll review some of the pastas that have the least sugar next!
7 low-sugar pastas
Barilla gluten-free pasta – 0 grams per serving
Pasta that looks like regular pasta but is labeled as gluten-free is made from gluten-free flours such as rice flour and corn flour. This type of gluten-free pasta is even lower in sugar than regular pasta – but only by one gram (we told you pasta isn’t a high-sugar food!).
Gluten-free pasta is suitable for those with wheat allergies or gluten intolerance, but it’s not Paleo- or keto-friendly (too high in carbs for keto and it contains rice and corn, grains that aren’t allowed on Paleo).
Shirataki noodles – 0 grams per serving
If you’re on a low-carb diet, you might be intrigued by the idea of shirataki noodles. These noodles are grain-free and made from the konjac plant. They are extremely low in calories, carbs, and sugar! They’re also Paleo-friendly, in case you were wondering.
Chickpea pasta – 1 gram per serving
This gluten-free pasta is made from chickpeas, making it naturally higher in fiber and protein. It’s also low in sugar – but remember, that doesn’t make it low in total carbs (see the nutrition comparison table at the end of this article).
Lentil pasta – 1 gram per serving
Lentils are like chickpeas – they are legumes, so they are naturally fiber- and protein-rich. Lentil pasta is a good alternative for wheat allergies and gluten-free dieters, but it’s not Paleo or keto-friendly.
Regular pasta – 1 gram per serving
Good old regular pasta is made from non-whole-wheat durum wheat. This type of flour is higher in protein and gluten, making it ideal for pasta making. Wheat isn’t high in sugar, so regular pasta (including all of the different shapes like macaroni, spaghetti, penne, and more) isn’t high in sugar, either.
Soba noodles (buckwheat) – 1 gram per serving
Even though ‘wheat’ is in the name, buckwheat is gluten-free! (Soba rice noodles are gluten-free, but watch out for some types of soba noodles that contain wheat flour, which are NOT gluten-free.)
Soba noodles (both rice and wheat) are low in sugar – but not total carbs.
Whole wheat pasta – 1 gram per serving
You’ve probably heard that whole wheat pasta is better for you than regular pasta, but why is that?
Whole wheat pasta is made with flour from the entire wheat kernel, including the fiber- and nutrient-rich bran and germ. These outermost parts of the wheat kernel are stripped and removed when making all-purpose flour, which is why enriched flour (the kind used to make regular pasta) is lower in fiber.
Fiber is an important nutrient for heart and digestive health, but unfortunately, most Americans don’t get enough fiber. Eating fiber-rich foods like whole wheat pasta can help you reach your daily fiber goals (25-30 grams per day)!
Nutrition comparison of low-sugar pastas
Pasta (2 oz. dry) | Calories | Fat (saturated) | Total carbs (fiber) | Total sugars (added) | Protein |
Gluten-free pasta (Barilla gluten-free) | 190 | 1 g (0 g) | 44 g (2 g) | 0 g | 4 g |
Shirataki noodles (100 grams) | 5 | 0 g | 4 g (2 g) | 0 g | 0 g |
Chickpea pasta | 190 | 3 g (0 g) | 35 g (5 g) | 1 g (0 g) | 11 g |
Lentil pasta | 190 | 1.5 g (0 g) | 34 g (6 g) | 1 g (0 g) | 14 g |
Regular pasta | 200 | 1 g (0 g) | 42 g (3 g) | 1 g (0 g) | 7 g |
Soba (rice) noodles | 200 | 1 g (0 g) | 43 g (2 g) | 1 g (0 g) | 6 g |
Whole wheat pasta | 180 | 1.5 g (0 g) | 39 g (7 g) | 1 g (0 g) | 8 g |
FAQs:
Pasta isn’t a high-sugar food, and most types of pasta contain one gram or fewer of sugar per serving. That doesn’t mean that pasta is low-carbohydrate, though – carbohydrates turn into blood sugar when they are metabolized. Total carbohydrates should be monitored along with sugar for people who have blood sugar imbalances like diabetes.
Shirataki noodles, kelp noodles, and hearts of Palm “pasta” are all very low in carbohydrates and even suitable for diets like keto.
Pasta itself is low in sugar, so it can be suitable for certain types of low-sugar (but not necessarily low-carb) diets.
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